The term Cut-off Voltage is activated voltage level at which the charge controller ( a voltage and/or current regulator) disconnects the load from the battery. The battery’s cut-off voltage is determined by the manufacturer, so that consumers can achieve the maximum capacity of their batteries. The cut-off voltage depends on the type of battery under use and differs from one battery to the other.
For example:
a) NiCd or NiMH battery has the cut-off voltage of 1.0 V
b) Alkaline battery – 0.9 V
c) Single-cell Lithium-ion battery – 3.3 V
Devices that have excessively high cut-off voltages may quit working while the battery still has substantial working capacity remaining; this is also known as Premature Voltage Cut-off. Some devices experiencing premature voltage cut-off are laptops, cell phones, medical devices, power tools, hybrid cars and other portable devices.
Because of elevated internal resistance, alkaline batteries are not meant for applications with high load. This internal resistance rises further due to partially depleted cell and cold temperature, thereby causing the cut-off while there is still some energy in the battery.
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